Dirty Games
by auzstar913
Summary: With Harry and Ron's constant absence, Hermione needs some fun in her life. But then Draco comes along and thanks to a few choice words he declares war. They're about to get tangled up in lies, deceit and a clever game of Truth or Dare.
1. The Library

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. 

Chapter One: The Library 

Hermione rolled her eyes, as several Gryffindors kept throwing jealous glances in her direction. She was used to this. It was something of a habit that had started at the beginning of her seventh year. She glanced down the Gryffindor table, and several girls suddenly gave the impression that the enchanted ceiling was now very interesting. They weren't jealous of her smarts, they weren't jealous of her Head Girl badge, they were jealous of Harry. 

   The Boy Who Lived had changed in many ways. Five years of Quidditch had done him good. His shoulders had become broader, and he had become more muscular. His glasses gave him quite a boyish charm, and his untidy jet-black hair made him even more appealing. Ron had changed too. His shoulders were broader, and his freckles had given him somewhat of a tan. Most of the girls had developed their own ideas of Hermione's relationship with the boys. 

   Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil stole a glance at Hermione, anxiously. They must have thought Hermione was writing a love letter to Harry the way they were behaving. She glanced down at her blank piece of parchment. Hermione knew everything written in all of her seventh year books backwards, and somehow she hadn't managed to write a simple thing. Finally, she stood up, and headed towards the library. Hermione heard Lavender and Parvati's footsteps behind her, and turned, startling them. 'I suggest you don't follow me. I'm on my way to meet Harry, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to come. Unless, you want to – Harry sometimes likes that.' Even though she knew she had made things worse for herself, Hermione enjoyed seeing the looks on their faces. And without another word she was gone. 

   It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, and most kids were sitting under the shade of the trees outside. Hermione decided on the table furthest from the entrance. She knew no girl would follow her there since the Bloody Baron passed by it most frequently. 

   She set her books down on the table and quickly got out her quill and parchment. Now that there were no eyes permanently focused on her back, she got on with her essay quite easily. Suddenly, a loud, drawling voice could be heard from behind her. 

    'Granger, what the hell do you think you doing here?' 

   Hermione chose to ignore his comment, and continued writing so only the scratching of her quill could be heard. 'Are you still there?' she asked, annoyed. 

   'Yes,' he said, 'do you have a problem with that?' 

   'Oh – no,' said Hermione. 'I'm just so glad I've got two people to keep me company. You know, you _and the Bloody Baron.' She heard Draco stumble backwards, and she chuckled appreciatively. _

   'You think you're so smart?' sneered Draco. Hermione looked at him. Everyone knew that she was top of the class. 'You're just a Mudblood.' 

   The name didn't affect Hermione the way it used to. In fact, the name had been tossed around so much; non-Muggle-borns now used it as commonly as 'loser,' or 'wanker'. 'You know, Draco its funny. People only use that name when their very drunk or very stupid. Well, you're not drunk …' 

   Draco sniffed, and slunk into the chair opposite Hermione. 'What are you writing?' 

   Hermione looked up. 'Why do you care?' 

   'Is it important?' 

   Hermione raised her eyebrows. 'Its homework.' 

   Draco slowly raised his wand. 'Don't!' Hermione screamed. To her surprise, he stopped. She stared at him. 'Those robes … they don't come cheap, do they?' 

'Father can buy me new ones,' said Draco firmly. 

'Yes, but Father probably wouldn't be happy their only smouldering ash courtesy of a – dare I say – Mudblood?' 

Draco thought it over. Finally, he slipped his wand back into his robes. 'Thank you,' said Hermione. 

   'Don't think I did it for you,' he said. 

   Hermione shook her head. 'Oh no.' 

   'Because I didn't,' said Draco quickly. 

   'I know,' she said. 

   'Good,' he said. 

   'Good,' said Hermione, continuing to write. 

   'So, where's Potter?' he asked. 

   'Why do you care?' said Hermione. 

   'I don't,' he said. 

   'Then, why did you ask?' 

   'I didn't,' he said. 

   'Uh-huh,' said Hermione, tonelessly. 

   Draco rested his legs on the table, and put his hands behind his head. Hermione noticed his feet were an inch away from her with disgust. 

   'So, the rumours aren't true, then?' 

   Hermione looked at him. 'What rumours?' 

   'About you and Potter,' Draco replied. 

   Hermione scoffed. 'No,' she said, laughing. 

   'Its funny?' he said, raising his eyebrows. 

   'Yes,' she said. 

   'Why?' 

   'Because it's Harry,' she said. 

   He didn't say anything for a long time, and Hermione hoped that he was toying with decision of leaving. Finally, he said, 'Do you get jealous?' 

   'Of Harry?' she asked. 'Of Harry and who?' 

   'You know, everyone,' he said. 

   'I know girls look at him, Malfoy. I see him everyday,' said Hermione, rather angrily. 

   'Oh, now that was jealousy,' said Draco, 'do you dream about him, Granger? Do you find him _dreamy?' _

   Hermione slammed her book down on the table, hard. 'Will you please just leave, Malfoy? You're doing nothing but pissing me off!' 

   Draco leaned back on his chair. 'Hey, I'm just talking here.' 

   Hermione inhaled sharply. 'Shut up,' she said quietly. 

   'What are you going to do?' Draco smirked. 'Set my robes on fire? Now, you know Father wouldn't approve.' 

   It took a few moments for Draco to comprehend what was going on. Hermione had lunged across the table and reached for Draco, whose chair fell freely to the floor. 'Now, listen here,' said Hermione, fiercely, gripping him tightly by his robes, 'I don't like you, and you don't like me, but this year I'm Head Girl and you're Head Boy, and we share a common room. But I'd appreciate it if you didn't drag my personal life into our conversations and making inane comments about my friends. Now, I suggest you leave now unless you'd rather have a cork up your arse.' Draco freed himself from her grasp, and loosened his robes slightly. 'All right, Granger, I'll leave. But you know, now, that this is war,' he said, roughly, before whispering into Hermione's ear, 'and some play nicer than others.' 

   Hermione just smiled sweetly at him. 'I know you like your backside the way it is, Malfoy.' 

   He stared at her, and with one swish of his robes, Draco had gone. Hermione glanced down at her essay; she still had three-hundred more lines to go. And it seemed this year was only getting started. 


	2. The Common Room

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. 

Chapter Two: The Common Room 

Hermione left the library several hours later, with two rolls of parchment lagging behind her. She had missed dinner, and decided she would make an appearance in the Gryffindor common room, before heading towards her own. 

   After a good five minutes, Hermione arrived at Gryffindor tower, but for the first time in her life she realised she didn't know the password. The Fat Lady looked down at her. 'No, password, no entry,' she said firmly. 

   Suddenly, a cheerful voice could be heard from behind her. 'Hermione! What are you doing here?' 

   Hermione turned around and came face to face with Neville Longbottom, a round-faced, forgetful boy. 'Hi, Neville,' she said, brightly, 'I just came to see … everyone.' 

   'The password's mandrake magnificent,' he said. 'I remembered it, see.' 

   Hermione nodded, as the portrait of The Fat Lady swung open. Hermione entered the common room, smiling. Everyone looked up. 'So, where's Harry,' she asked. 'Where's Ron?' 

   Most of the girls exchanged knowing looks, but Hermione ignored them. She looked at Dean and Seamus. 'Where are they?' 

   'Dunno,' said Dean, 'they weren't at dinner.' 

   Seamus shook his head. 'I haven't seen them all day.' 

   'I know where they are,' came a bitter voice from the corner of the room. Hermione looked at Ginny. 'Where are they?' she said again. 

   'Their with girls, that's all they care about now – _girls_,' said Ginny, shaking her head in disgust. 'Good luck finding for them, Hermione. I think even their fan clubs have lost them.' Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it. She merely nodded, and left the common room without another word. 

   Soon she had arrived at her own room; she sighed, and muttered, 'Cockroach Cluster,' under her breath. The portrait of a previous Head Girl from the 18th century swung open. 

   She walked into her room, without looking up, and looked towards the door leading towards the common room. Draco could be in there, she thought, at least he talks to me. But the last thought was pushed out of her mind as she remembered his last words: 'This is war – and some play nicer than others.' 

   What did he mean by that? She thought, this is war. I don't see any machine guns around. 

   Ah, but a voice reminded her, this is wizard war. This is better. 

   Hermione sighed, and reached for her hairbrush. But it wasn't there. Her hand slapped the table continuously feeling for anything. Finally, she looked up, and gasped at what she saw. Everything in her room was levitating. Her hairbrush, her trunk, her table was a few inches off the ground, even her bed was floating. And suddenly it hit her like a ton of bricks: _Malfoy. This was war, and the ball was in his court. 'Crap,' she muttered. _

   Then she suddenly realised she had the upper hand, not the ball – or the court, but the upper hand. She was top of her class, and he distracted her by a couple of floating objects. This was cake. 

   And he expected her to come beating down his door, he wanted her to react. Well, she was going to react by not reacting at all. 

   Hermione muttered a quick incantation under her breath, and everything fell to the floor**. She fell back on her bed, and stretched out her arms. It seemed life had gotten so much better. **

   Then she talking coming from outside her room, and she recognised those voice instantly. 

   'Please, just let us through,' said Harry, 'she's our friend.' 

   Hermione suppressed a snort, and shifted uneasily on her bed. Well, they had come to see her … 

   'Look, Miss Head Girl thingy, if you don't let us through, I'll pull my wand on you,' said Ron angrily. 

    Hermione smiled, suddenly, and said, 'It's Cockroach Cluster.' 

   'Aha,' said Ron, 'you caved! Hang on – '

   'Hermione,' said Harry. 

   'Cockroach Cluster,' said Ron defiantly. 

   The portrait swung open, and the duo stepped through, smiling. 

   'Hello,' said Hermione, 'I see you've met Edith.' 

   'She's a bit of a bitch,' said Ron. 

   Hermione laughed, and Harry looked at her, uncertainly. 'We haven't seen you in a while …' 

   'I think we all agree who's fault that is,' said Hermione, as Ron looked down at his feet. 

   'We've been -,' Harry began. 

   'Busy,' finished Hermione, 'I know.' 

   'Oh no,' said Ron, 'you haven't been talking to Ginny, have you?' 

   'So what if I have,' said Hermione, crossing her arms over her chest. 

   'Well … she's a bit shirty with us,' said Ron. 

   'Because we haven't been spending enough time with her – and you, and everyone,' said Harry. 

   'We've changed, Hermione,' said Ron. 'And so have you.' 

   'What?' said Hermione. 

   'You're spreading rumours, Hermione,' said Harry, 'that's why we've come to see you.' 

   'It's ruining our chances … everyone thinks we're items,' said Ron. 

   'Oh,' said Hermione quietly. 'Oh! You two … think _I _started this? You came to school as if you owned it, and everyone assumed that we were all together. I didn't say anything – well, one thing – but that doesn't matter. I can't believe it! You two are absolutely the most selfish people I have ever met,' she turned to Ron, 'even your own blood thinks so. The only people who will talk to you are girls who think they have a chance.' 

'But they do have a chance,' said Harry, 'even you have a chance.' 

   'Oh, I feel so privileged that I have a chance with you two,' said Hermione, shaking her head in disgust. 'Selfish bastards.' 

   'Come on, Harry,' said Ron, 'I knew she wouldn't understand.'  Harry turned, and gave Hermione one last helpless look, before following Ron's lead and leaving. 

   'I'm changing the password!' called Hermione to their retreating backs. 

   They said nothing, and she fell back on her bed again, her good mood demolished. No friends, only enemies. 

   KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! 

   Someone was knocking on the common room door. Well, actually it could only be one person. Malfoy. 

   'What do you want?' she snapped. 

   'Manners, Granger,' he said. Even though there was a large wooden door between them, Hermione knew he was smirking. 

   Hermione groaned, and rolled onto her stomach. 'Can I come in?' he asked. 

   'No,' she said. 

   'Dear shame that is,' he said, 'you do realise I won't leave you alone until you do?' 

   'Fine,' she said. And the door flew open. 

   Draco strode into the door as if he owned it, smirking at Hermione as she glared at him. 'Nice room, Granger.' 

   'Shut up, you've been in it before,' she said. 

   'Are you implying -,' he began. 

   'Levitating hairbrush ring a bell?' she asked. 

   'You put it back,' said Draco, sounding slightly disappointed. 

   'You thought I'd keep it that way?' Hermione asked. 

   'Not a lot of people know the counter-curse,' he said. 

   'I'm not a lot of people,' said Hermione. 

   'No,' he agreed, 'you're not.' 

   Hermione stared at him, but he seemed not to acknowledge her presence. Suddenly, he flopped down on her bed, and said, 'New rule. No war.' 

   Hermione continued to stare at him, then she began to smile, and then she began to laugh. 'Huh … that's funny,' she mused. 

   'I'm serious,' he said, sounding slightly put-out. 

   'Oh, sure you are,' said Hermione. 

   'I am,' said Draco. 

   'Oh … OK,' said Hermione, smiling. 

   'You want the war?' asked Draco. 

   'Well … no,' said Hermione, truthfully, 'but I don't want to rule it out either.' 

   Draco thought for a while. Finally, he said, 'All right, Truth or Dare.' 

   Hermione chuckled. 'How old are we?' 

   'I'm serious,' said Draco. 'All right, say we're in Potions, and you're pissed off with me or something. Then you can dare me to do something, or ask me a question I have to tell the truth to. And it works both ways.' 

Hermione bit her lip. It did sound appealing, and it wasn't like she had anything better to do. She looked at Draco's outstretched hand, and slowly shook it. 'Deal,' she said. 

   'Great,' he said. He rose from her bed. 'See you soon … Hermione.' 

   She looked up at his passing figure, and watched quietly slipped out the door. No friends, she thought, only enemies. 

   Was that so bad? 


	3. Dare

Authors Note: I would just like to thank everyone who reviewed so far. FantasyIsMyLife1, Body Chocolate, freyliskat, DrAcOLuVeR79, buffy, Susana, buffylives, ciceronian, kat6528, Dragons Spitfire, shelly, Kinky Girl, sweetie2, mic, and Angel: da Newsies fan. 

   Oh, and I'm sorry it took a while to update, but I've had a minor Writer's Block, so I've just had no idea what to write. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. 

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. 

Chapter Three: Dare

It had been two weeks since Draco had proposed the game of Truth or Dare, and Hermione was seriously doubting his sincerity. After all, he was a Malfoy. 

   Not that two weeks made any difference to Harry, Ron and Hermione's friendship, it still remained as shattered as ever. Hermione had finally resorted to referring to them as her fellow Gryffindors. Ginny still wasn't talking to Harry and Ron either, and she and Hermione had become closer than ever, but Hermione still felt something was severely lacking in her life until late one Saturday night, when she woke up to hear the familiar rapping on her door. 

   "Granger? Oh, Granger?"

   "Shut up," she mumbled into her pillow. 

   "Oh, my dear Granger, I don't feel like shutting up. In fact, I feel a ballad coming on -" 

   "Come on in, then," she muttered, feeling extremely pissed. It was exactly one a.m. in the morning, and the last person she wanted to hear burst into a Celine Dion type song was Draco Malfoy. But seeing as he was already in her room sitting on her bed, there was very little Hermione could do about it. 

   "Please turn on a light, Granger," said Draco, demandingly. 

   Hermione sighed, and reached over turning on her lamp. She sat up in bed, facing Draco. "I'm here to talk business," he said. 

   Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, better go scurrying off to Pansy, then. I'm sure she'd give you a good fifty Galleons if you bang her in the right places." 

   Draco snorted. "Granger, in case you haven't noticed Pansy is a pug-faced bitch who needs to visit the 'place where you have a normal arse-shape.'" 

   Hermione rolled out of bed, and stood up. "You're talking business ..." 

   "Two words. Truth or Dare?" Draco asked. 

   Hermione straightened. "Two words," she said, "fuck off." 

   Draco shrugged. "Hey, you agreed. We both know you'd love to see me moon Snape." 

   Hermione bit back a laugh. "Truth." 

   "Hmm ... do you have any veritaserum?" asked Draco, raising his eyebrows. 

   "No." 

   "I think Snape does," mused Draco. "I could probably steal it ..." 

   Hermione sighed again. This way getting way out of hand, maybe she should just go for a dare, maybe that would be easier - "Dare," she said suddenly. 

   "Dare?" Draco repeated. 

   "Dare," she said, firmly. 

   "Dare ..." Draco said, happily. "I dare you to successfully make out with Potter and Weasley in the space of two days without either of them finding out about the other."

   Hermione stared at him. "Do you hear a phone?"

   Draco stared at her. "What's a phone?" 

   "Nothing," Hermione said quickly. 

   "Did you hear me?" 

   "What?" 

   "I said, 'did you hear me?'" Draco asked. 

   "Sorry," said Hermione loudly. "I can't hear you." 

   Draco sighed. "Look ... Granger. We made a deal. No war, just games. You either agree or not. If not, it's over. Back to our boring old lives. So, what is it, Granger? You agree?" He extended his hand forward. Hermione stared at it, and suddenly her hand was in his. "Agree." 

   Draco smirked. "I love fucking with people." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was two p.m. in the afternoon, and Hermione was working on Part A of her dare. Kissing Harry. She didn't how she would manage it, she wasn't even speaking to Harry anymore. And then there was Ron. She might even go as far as saying she hated Ron. After this was over, Draco Malfoy was a dead man. 

   She leaned back against the portrait of The Fat Lady, waiting. Not that she had any idea what to say. "Hey Harry, d'you mind if I stick my tongue down your throat?" Not likely. 

   Suddenly, Lavender and Parvati approached eyeing her jealously. "Yeah," she she said, "waiting for Harry. You wouldn't by any chance know where he is?" 

   Lavender and Parvati didn't reply, they just cocked their heads behind them where Harry was heading towards them. Hermione nodded in thanks, as Lavender muttered something and the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open. "Hi Harry," said Hermione nervously. 

   Harry looked shocked at being referred to as an old friend by Hermione. He slowly smiled, "Hermione." 

   "Uh - I need to talk to you. How do you feel about my dormitory?" she asked. 

   Harry cocked his eyebrows in surprise. "I feel good." 

   Hermione smiled. "Good." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So far, Part A of her dare was going very smoothly. Harry and Hermione were on her bed, not kissing, only touching. Well ... it was now or never. Hermione leaned over and kissed Harry very lightly on the mouth, to her surprise he responded almost instantly. He gently tried to push her mouth open with his tongue, and Hermione reluctantly obliged. Soon this would be over ... and soon it was.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ron!" she called. "Ron!" Hermione tapped her foot impatiently on the ground. Where in the world could he be? Oh right, he was probably spending some quality time with anything with tits and blonde hair in his dormitory. 

   She looked around the common room, glancingly pleadingly at Dean, who just shrugged helplessly. 

   Suddenly, Ron appeared at the bottom of the staircase leading towards his dormitory. Lavender appeared after him, her hair tousled slightly and her subtle lip stick smudged. Hermione suddenly felt this was the last place she wanted to be. 

   Ron looked at her. "Were you calling me, then?"

   Hermione merely nodded. Ron moved in front of her, and said just so she could hear, "Do you want to go somewhere private?" 

   Hermione nodded again, and Ron pushed past Lavender quite rudely and lead Hermione towards his dormitory. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You got a dare?" he repeated. "From Malfoy?" Hermione just sat there, nervously twiddling her thumbs. "Since when do you take orders from Malfoy?" 

   "Since now," said Hermione. "Our friendships pratically dead, and I don't really think I can read any more books." 

   Ron rocked from side to side on his bed. He mumbled something under his breath. 

   Hermione stared at him. "What was that?" 

   "Sorry, Herm," he said quietly, "I didn't mean to be such a dickhead." 

   Hermione laughed softly. "Just don't let it happen again." 

   Ron nodded. "Does Harry know?" 

   Hermione squirmed uncomfortably on Ron's bed. "Well ... we didn't exactly do much ... talking." 

   Ron looked at her. "You mean - you kissed?" 

   "I mean - yes," said Hermione. "But he's changed Ron," she said quickly, "he doesn't exactly listen anymore." 

   "Yeah," he sighed, "Harry doesn't exactly have Voldemort on his mind anymore. It's his Cho-loss, it's every seventh year, it's the fifth year he impregnated last week." 

   "He got a girl pregnant?!" Hermione squealed. 

   "Nah, I'm just fucking with you," Ron said, chuckling. "Er - Hermione? Does this mean we get to - ," 

   "Don't even think about it," said Hermione. 

   "Right." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"DRACO-WHATEVER THE FUCK YOUR MIDDLE NAME IS-MALFOY!" screamed Hermione. "OPEN THIS DOOR OR I WILL FUCKIN' -," 

   "Fuckin' what," said Draco, opening his door, "_truth _me, will you? I'm afraid Snape will get too excited if I reveal my bare arse to the git." 

   "I'm not here to _truth you, Malfoy!" Hermione yelled. "I'm here to get revenge!" _

   "What?" smiled Draco. "Weasley bite your tongue?" 

   Hermione slammed her hand on the doorframe. "Let me in," she hissed. 

   Draco stepped inside, and Hermione swept into his room. It was almost the opposite of her's. Instead of the red and gold curtains, there were bright green ones blocking out any sunshine that could possibly creep into his room. His bed was surronded by a thin mosquito net, that was trimmed by a sparkling silver. 

   "Fantastic, isn't it Granger?" Draco asked, interrupting Hermione's thoughts. 

   "Oh yeah, I'm practically drooling," Hermione said. 

   "All right, so revenge. Revenge away," said Draco. 

   "I kissed Harry," she said, "it sucked. I kissed Ron, it sucked. I'm in a deal that I can't get out of, and I want sweet revenge." 

   Draco smirked at the news of Harry and Ron's performance. This was music to his ears. "But, I'm kind of bringing in something to help me, you don't mind, do you?" Hermione said. Draco shrugged, and Hermione gestured for something to come in. Trouble was, on Malfoy's part, that some_thing _was a some_one. _And that someone was Ron Weasley. 

   "What!" Draco yelled. "Weasley?" 

   "You NEVER said I couldn't have help, and the same for you. It's only that, this boy here has been the butt of every rude joke, and cruel prank from his family since he was born. Now, wouldn't that help _me _in this situation? Hmm ..." Draco just stood there, muttering insults and staring at the pair, wide-eyed. "You didn't kiss him, did you?" he asked, jerking his head towards Ron. 

   Hermione just smiled at him. "Oh, I love fucking with people." 


	4. Plans

**Authors Note:** Geez, thanks to all my faithful reviewers! sweetlilacblossom, AngelofMusic2, Token, Jen, Fiery-chan, Truth, Beauty, Freedom, L, Tokyo Princess, overXposed, Draco's Girl, slammin-sorceress, and x0Xferociousfemme0x0 (I'll have your question answered in this chapter ... er - I hope.) Thanks to everyone and keep reviewing! 

   Oh this will be a really short chapter! But if you review you'll get more!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. God, I don't even own my computer. 

**Chapter Four: Plans **

"How about we give him chocolate that makes him die?" 

   "Ron, we're talking practical jokes not murder!" 

   "Er - right ... do you have any poison?" 

   "What?" 

   "Well, we could put him in a coma ..." 

   Hermione slammed her head on the table, and Ron looked at her expectantly. Hermione sat up and shifted in her seat. "Does me purposely putting a bruise on my forehead give you any idea?" 

   Ron bit his lip. "Hermione, did you actually think it over when you told Malfoy we're plotting horrible, horrible things?"

   Hermione sighed. "No, not really - but when you're pissed you don't really think straight." 

   Ron leaned back on his chair, and looked around the common-room. Harry entered and gave Hermione a sly smile, which she cleverly avoided. She had almost forgotten Harry thought their little kiss meant more than a retarded dare. For one horrible second she thought Harry was going to kiss her again in front of the whole common-room, but Harry slided fast her, whispering in her ear, "I've missed you today." Hermione tried her hardest not to burst out laughing, and she stole a grin with Ron, who found the situation very amusing, and was often singing, "Harry and Hermione sitting in a tree F-U-C-K-I-N-G!"

   As soon as Harry was in his dormitory, Ron leaned over. "Are you ever gonna tell him it was a dare?" 

   Hermione smiled at him. "Nope." 

   Ron raised his eyebrows. Suddenly, he said, "Hermione, I've got an idea." 

   Hermione turned to him, giving him her full attention. "Talk to him." 

   "Malfoy?" Hermione asked. "But talking to him is like talking to your own toilet. They're both full of shit." 

   Ron laughed. "Find out about what he likes, what he dislikes. Stuff like that. That way it'll be easier to figure out what to do. I mean, when he dared you to kiss me and Harry, he did it because he knew it would be hard for you, he knew you're close to us. Delving into the mind of Malfoy would make this a hell of a lot easier." 

   Hermione nodded. He had a fair point, but like she'd said before it was fucking hard to talk to that boy. But since Harry was heading back downstairs dressed in what seemed to be man-robes, Hermione decided on leaving the common-room. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You like torturing people?" Hermione repeated as she saw a grin creep up onto Draco's face. God, she felt like she was doing a freakin' interview. This was absolutely hopeless, Draco Malfoy - like most other men - was full of shit. 

   "I'm fucking with you, Granger. God, I'd thought you'd know me a bit more by now," he glanced around the common-room he shared with Hermione. The roaring fire kept them warm enough, but he sensed something was out of place here. It wasn't everyday Hermione would burst into his dormitory, demanding he tell her his life story. Still, it was extremely fun to watch the look on Hermione's face when he told her he liked kinky sex. 

   Hermione looked at him. "Malfoy, why are you such a complete arse-hole?" 

   "Granger, why are you such a stupid bitch?" 

   Hermione's mouth fell open. "What?" 

   "Well, you ask a question like that you're bound to get an answer like that," Draco explained. 

   "You can't answer a question with a question," said Hermione triumphantly. 

   Draco snorted. "Who says?" 

   "I do," said Hermione. 

   "Right." 

   "You know what, let's try not to insult each other for at least five minutes, OK?" 

   "Fine," said Draco. 

   "Fine." 

   But as it was when Hermione and Draco weren't insulting each other on some level, they really had nothing to say. Hermione started to speak, "Nice weather." 

   Draco stared at her. "Granger, it's pissing down outside." 

   "Hey, insults mean last names too, from now on you have to call me Hermione," said Hermione. 

   "Fine, you have to call me Draco, then," said Draco. 

   Hermione made a face. "But - I just - well ... you know ..." 

   "Sorry ... _Hermione. _You made the deal, I'm just following along." 

   His words reminded Hermione strongly of something, suddenly she realised. "Why am I doing this for you?" 

   Draco frowned. "What - calling me Draco?" 

   "No," Hermione said slowly, "why am I taking orders from you?" 

   "I don't know." 

   "Why am I getting the ridiculous dares?" 

   "I don't know." 

   But Hermione was on a roll, she stood up, angry. "Why am I having to resort to using someone who's no fucking use to me anyway!" 

   Draco stood up too. "Ha! I was right! You're just using Weasley! You don't care about your friendship, you're just trying to get me back!" 

   Hermione stepped towards him. "Why do you care about my friendship with Ron?" 

   Draco slunk back into his chair. "Dunno," he said quietly. 

   "We can't even have a civil conversation!" Hermione yelled. 

   Draco laughed quietly. "We're like an old married couple." 

   Hermione sat back down. "Yes, and as weird and freakish as that is, we can't do this anymore. The game's off." 

   Draco nodded. "One more thing." 

   Hermione looked at him. "What?" 

   "I dare you to kiss me." __


	5. Game Over

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. (Geez, I mean seriously how long does it take that to get old?) 

**Chapter Five: Game Over **

"What?"

   "I - I'm joking!" 

   "You seemed serious enough!" 

   "How serious?" 

   "You leaned in to kiss me!" 

   "It was a joke!" 

   "Well, fucking hilarious! Ha ha-fuckity-ha ha!" 

   Hermione slammed the common-room door, and leaned against it. Draco Malfoy had just asked her to kiss him. He had leaned in to kiss her. If it was a joke like he said it was then he definitely had a shocking sense of humour. Now, if it was possible, Hermione was more confused than ever. There was only one person who could help her in this situation. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ginny Weasley, open this door right now or I will -," 

   "Hello, Hermione," said Ginny, through the small crack in the door. 

   "What are you doing?" said Hermione. 

   "Er - nothing," said Ginny quickly. 

   "Then open the door all the way," ordered Hermione. 

   "No." 

   "Why?" 

   "Because I - I have a - germs and if you were to inhale the germs then -," but Hermione was too quick for her, and she pushed open the all the way. "Helloo - is anyone in here?" She looked at Ginny. "Why were you shielding me from your room?" And then she saw them. "'Nude Dudes In L.A.?'" 

   If it was possible Ginny's face went ten times brighter than her hair, and Hermione had to steady herself on the doorway to keep herself from falling over she was laughing so hard. "Ginny Weasley, are you or are you not reading pornos?" 

   "Shut up," snapped Ginny. 

   "Can I come in?" 

   "Do you have a good reason?" 

   "Malfoy tried to kiss me." 

   "Ah - why didn't you say so? Come in." 

   Hermione stepped into her room, and grinned at another magazine, 'Hot Man's Manhood In The Flesh.' 

   Ginny fell back onto her bed. "Malfoy?" she said, raising her eyebrows. 

   Hermione nodded, her good mood slowly fading away. "Yep. Stupid barstard." 

   "You should find it flattering," said Ginny. 

   "What!" screamed Hermione. "Why did I come to you for advice?" 

   "Well, he is very good looking," said Ginny. 

   "Yah - but we hate him!" 

   "You know that line ... 'there's a fine line between love and hate.'" 

   "Oh, shut up, Ginny. I'm far from loving Malfoy," said Hermione angrily. 

   Hermione flopped down on the floor, lying on her back. "I hate him." 

   Ginny jumped off her bed and lay down next to her. "I know you do. How did this all start again anyway?" 

   Hermione proceeded to tell her about the war, the Truth or Dare, Ron, the insults, and finally the almost-kiss. Ginny looked at her, and all she could say was, "Ugh - Ron and Lavender?" 

   Hermione rolled her eyes. "What am I going to do, Ginny? How the hell did I get into this mess? How the hell can I get out?" 

   "Ooh! Ooh! I know! Kill him!" said Ginny. 

   Hermione laughed. "Get me a knife." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione sat in her bed comfortably, reading a book. She trailed her finger over the lines, taking in every word. That was until she realised someone was knocking on her bedroom door. "Oh, I wonder who that could be," she muttered. "Go away, Malfoy!" she yelled. 

   "I can't," said Draco. 

   "Why not?" 

   "Because I need to talk to you," he said. 

   "Fuck off!" 

   "That's not talking." 

   "That's about a quarter of your vocabulary." 

   "Let me in." 

   "No." 

   "I'll sing." 

   "You can't sing." 

   "Well, we'll see won't we?" 

   "Fine, but this is the last time ..."

   The door opened and Draco stepped in. He didn't sit down, he just stood there with his arms crossed. "Hello." 

   "Shut the fuck up, Malfoy." 

   "I was just being polite." 

   "Well, don't. It doesn't suit your personality," said Hermione. 

   "Sorry for trying to suck face with you this afternoon," said Draco. 

   Hermione almost laughed. "That's quite all right. Oh, you can go now." 

   "I have one more thing to say." 

   "Is it 'I'm a masturbating prick?'" Hermione asked. 

   "Er - no. I want to propose Truth or Dare again." 

   This time Hermione allowed herself to laugh. "No." 

   Draco raised his eyebrows. "That's it? That's all you have to say?" 

   Hermione nodded. 

   "Oh, come on. You've got to admit life was a tad more interesting when we were playing our game. Besides, I'm very interested to hear what you and Weasley have planned for me. Come on, Granger." 

   Hermione smiled at him and shook her head. Draco sighed and left her room, banging her door shut. Hermione smirked at the closed door, and returned to her book. Now he was going to know how it felt to be toyed with. 


	6. The Biggest Barstard In The World

**Authors Note: **Oh my God! You guys are awesome! Thank you to Tokyo Princess (all right, I don't like cookies ... much), dirtee. B, TomFeltonsDancer (are you really?), xo_pigwidgeon-xo, lalalalalalala (that's too many 'la's!), RuByMoOn17, Sapphire Butterfly, Ashley, Heather, Heather, and ... um Heather? (Yes, I know there are only one of you ... or are they?), AngelofMusic2, Kinky Girl (shit ... I can't write 'naughty' stuff ... erm - you wanna do it?), kolohekai, lizzy, lilblufairy289, and Hilary and 'friend, Tensi-Hotaru, Fiery-Chan, and paintballa. 

**Disclaimer: **God ... no more disclaimers ... you guys don't mind, do you? 

**Chapter Six: The Biggest Barstard In The World **

"Draco Malfoy is the biggest barstard in the world!" Hermione said loudly at the Gryffindor table the following morning. 

   "Why?" asked Ginny, buttering a piece of toast. 

   Ron frowned at her. "You don't need to ask why 'Malfoy' and 'barstard' are in the same sentence. Personally, I would've gone for stupid prick." 

   Hermione laughed, and Ginny turned to her. "Well, yes, I know he's a barstard - but what exactly did he _do? I mean, yesterday you didn't seem too rapt in him, but you didn't have a problem about -," she was cut off by a very severe look from Hermione, "whinging about him." Ron seemed to be satisfied by this, because he was longer looking at Ginny as if she was a bald ape.  _

   "Well," began Hermione, "he won't leave me alone for starters. He came into my room three times last night - without permission. I swear, platinum blond hair is not something you want to wake up to." 

   Ron seemed disgusted by this idea because he just spit out his bacon on Lavender's plate. "Er - sorry ..." 

   "Lavender," she finished, but she seemed unnaturally pleased by the piece of chewed up bacon. 

   Hermione grinned at him. "Wow, that's something to go on the bedside table." 

   "Shut up." 

   "You know, Hermione, I reckon Malfoy has a little crush on you," said Ginny mindlessly. 

   It was very unfortunate for Ginny to say that at that exact moment, because Hermione spit her orange juice all over Lavender's plate. She stared at it, wide-eyed, far from apologising. "Look, Ron, the bacon's got it's own soup," she said, pointing to the piece of bacon floating in the orange liquid. She looked up at Lavender. "I think you should get another plate." 

   Ron snorted quite loudly. "She's sorry, Lavender. She's just pre-menstrual." 

   Hermione laughed even louder, and Lavender and Parvati stood up shooting her a dirty look, which made Hermione laugh even harder. "Hermione," Ginny whispered, "people are starting to stare." Hermione looked up at all the curious faces through the Great Hall, and her eyes fell on Draco. He was smirking - not at all unusual - but this time it was a very superior smirk, like he knew something she didn't. And then it hit her. 

   "Ginny, who helps the house-elves serve breakfast?" she asked. 

   Ginny stared at her as if she was crazy. "The Head Boy and Girl. Honestly, Hermione, you acting quite strange -," but that was all Hermione needed to hear. Draco had spiked her orange juice, and that was just to reel her in. He really was a barstard. 

   Draco walked out of the Great Hall, and if she weren't watching him she wouldn't have had any idea he was gone, since he snuck out behind Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione stood up, and then abruptly sat back down again. Sighing, she stood up, and pushed her plate away, but was immediately pulled down Ginny. "What the fuck are you doing?" she hissed. Hermione looked at her; wide-eyed, and realised almost everyone in the Great Hall was still staring at her. "Ah, exercise ... you know, the old stand up, sit down," she paused, thinking fast. "Muggle thing." 

   Ginny let go of Hermione's robes, and Hermione stood up yet again. "Now what are you doing?" Ginny sighed. "The old stand up and look like a wanker?" Several kids laughed, and Hermione ignored them and stomped out of the Great Hall. She was giving in too easily for her liking. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione found Draco in their common-room. He was sitting in front of the fire, his back facing her. "Do you remember my proposal?" he asked. 

   Hermione smirked. "Do you remember me standing you up at the altar?" 

   "Not that kind of proposal, you fuckwit," said Draco, turning around. He hadn't expected someone he'd just hexed to have a sense of humour. He stood up, facing her completely. "You know I want the game back on." 

   Hermione nodded. "You waking me up three times last night sort of gave me the clue." 

   "Right. So. Are you still set in your no answer?" 

   Hermione rocked backwards and forwards as if she was teetering on revealing some bit of valuable information. She shrugged. "Dunno." 

   "You don't know? Is that a 'no', 'yes', 'maybe'?" Draco asked. Hermione grinned at him, she was making him impatient. "Dunno," she said again. 

   "For fuck's sake!" he exclaimed. "Just pick one!" 

   Hermione rolled her eyes. "Fine. Yes. Just no truths or dares now, all right? I'm tired." 

   Draco sighed, and nodded. "Right." 

   Hermione looked at him, and realised there was more thing to be done. So then she kissed him. 

   Now, it was quite hard to tell who was more confused. Draco or Hermione. They were both standing there kissing each other like you would kiss your Mum 'hello'. Of course, Draco realised this - and kissed her back. 

   Hard. 

   This surprised Hermione, she expected him to push her away in disgust, but he continued kissing her as if he'd done it a hundred times before. His tongue gently tried to open her mouth, and she let him, her hand gripping his hair tightly. And then she stopped. Just like that. 

   Draco stared at her. "What the fuck was that for?" 

   She smiled at him. "There's one thing you don't no about me, Malfoy. I never back out of a dare." 


	7. Confused With A Capital Huh

**Authors Note:** I'm sorry. You hate me, right? Of course you do. I hate myself too. It's all very sad. But I didn't know what to write! So, please, if you have any ideas for this story, please send to: billabong_913@yahoo.com.au. Thank you all so much for sticking with this story. You rule 100%! 

**Disclaimer:** Don't make me say it. Please … 

**Chapter Seven: Confused With A Capital 'Huh....' **

   "No." 

   "Yes." 

   "No." 

   "Yes." 

   "Tongue?" 

   "Yes."

   "Too much …" 

   "Just enough." 

   Ginny Weasley raised her eyebrows. "What has gotten into you, Hermione?" 

   Hermione looked at her. "What do you mean?" 

   "I mean … you and Malfoy. It just spells 'trouble.'" 

   "Actually, it spells 'youandMalfoy'."

   "Hermione …" 

   Hermione smiled at her. "What?" 

   "It's just you're happy … and I don't want you to get hurt," said Ginny. 

   "Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed. "You should have seen the look on his face after I kissed him. It was like … confused with a capital 'huh.'" Hermione acted like she didn't even hear Ginny's last statement. 

   "So, that's all it is then … a game," said Ginny. 

   "Of course," Hermione replied. "What – did you think I was falling in love with Draco Malfoy?" She laughed heartily after she said this, and waited for Ginny to laugh with her. 

   She didn't. 

   "Oh my God … Ginny … Ginny …" But she couldn't finish the sentence because she was laughing so hard. 

   Ginny sighed. "Go ahead … laugh." 

   "I am," Hermione wheezed. "Oh … oh, God Ginny … I think those blonde highlights are seeping into your skull." 

   "Shut up." 

   "I'm sorry. You know I love you. You know if I turned-," 

   "I would be the first one you turn to. Right, so I'm only your first choice if you become a lesbian. Great." 

   "Ginny. You know it's a joke." 

   "I know."

   "Good. I have to go. It's called getting someone so back he'll be moping in his Daddy's mansion for years to come." 

   "What about the kiss?" asked Ginny. 

   "Oh, that was just a warm-up," said Hermione. "It's time to bring in the big guns." 

   "OK," said Ginny. "Have fun." But Hermione was already gone. 

~*~*~*~*

   "Neville," said Hermione. "What is the strangest book you have ever seen?" 

   "Excuse me?" 

   "I'm conducting a poll. You will expect Malfoy or some other chap to come by soon." Of course Malfoy was coming by at all. This was part of her plan. It was perfect. Proof-free. She knew it. 

   "Er – well, there was _A Lesbian's Guide to Good Health." Hermione chuckled as she wrote it down. This made Neville think harder. "_How to get a Clock to Tell You the Time_ and … Oh, yeah, __Idiots Guide To Slapping the Salami." _

   Hermione snorted as she added it to list. "Thanks, Neville." 

   "No problem." 

   Hermione left the library with a big grin on her face that afternoon. 

~*~*~*~*

   Draco entered the Great Hall with an extra-large book bag the next morning. He had awoken with it in that state, and figured the spell he had cast which forced magic to do his homework and chores for him had gone the extra mile. Not that he was complaining. It was a great morning. He was happy. 

~*~*~*~*

   Hermione watched from behind the shadows. She was not seen by anyone, but she knew Draco would figure out the culprit. She was ready. It was perfect. She muttered a quick spell and watched with glee his bag come crashing down. 

~*~*~*~*

   As soon as it happened, Pansy hurried over to help put his bag together. She then noticed a book. "_Bi-sexual and Gay Man Husbands?" she read aloud. _

   Several kids giggled, Draco's face flushed with fury and humiliation. But Pansy wasn't done. "_A Lesbian's Guide to Good Health?" The Gryffindor table roared with laughter. _

~*~*~*~*

   From where Hermione was standing, she only heard, "_Idiot's Guide to Slapping the Salami_," before Draco ran out of the Great Hall. 

   "I'm back," she whispered happily. 


	8. The Kiss

**_Authors Note:_**__

_You guys are all fantastic for reviewing this story. I'm glad you stuck with it, even though I didn't update for such a long time. I promise I'll try to improve on everything I missed out on last chapter, especially writing out Draco's feelings of the kiss, as someone pointed out. And I'll try not to swear as much as I was before, as several people pointed put. Also, in reply to someone's query, I spell 'bastard' different out of habit, and 'arse' is how they say it and spell it in England and Australia, so I'm just spelling different to my faithful American readers. Thanks again for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter. _

**_Disclaimer:_**__

_I promise I will never forgive FF.Net for making me do these – I do not own Harry Potter, all that and associated with it belongs to J.K. Rowling. _

**_Chapter Eight:_**__

The Kiss 

   Draco lay across his bed, brushing a stray hair out of his eyes. 

   He was beyond furious. 

   Surprisingly, his anger had managed to be contained, as he was publicly humiliated in front of the entire school. Currently, the perpetrator remained unharmed, because the perpetrator, herself, had been on his mind since their previous night together. 

   It was a kiss that was not to be forgotten. Not only because the kiss was initiated by the person who may have hated Draco more than he hated and despised her. But because the kiss was one that was filled with passion of hate, lust, and possibly love. It was fuelled by the hate the two had shared since their first year, and now, being older and more mature, the two managed to deal with their hate for each other in the most unimaginable way possible. 

   To do the complete opposite. 

   To perform a minor act of love. 

   To make their heads even more muddled than before. 

   And now Draco Malfoy was draped across his bed, contemplating his feelings for … a Mudblood. 

   He allowed himself a shudder, as the thought became clear in his mind. The thought of _her_. The thought of being with _her_, and touching _her_, and experiencing extraordinary feelings for _her_. 

   Hermione Granger. 

   The one so innocent and so pure, and the one his father warned him not to associate with. 

   _Ah, _said a tiny voice in his head_, but your father's not here now. In fact, your father is the farthest away he could possibly be. In Azkaban. _

   Draco winced at the last word. It was the last word he heard his father say before he was dragged away by prison guards. _Dementors. _

   Of course, Draco felt now that he was ready and able to make his own decisions. The decision at the moment was how to deal with Hermione. First, he had to be able to conceal the incredibly confusing and incredibly annoying feelings he had for her. Then, he would have to get her back. No one hands him _A Lesbian's Guide To Good Health_ and gets away with it. 

   Looking back on it now, he saw it as child's play. She had a mind, but he had a deceitful mind. She came up with the ideas, and he came up with the goods. They were a team, yet they did not know it. 

   Now, Draco's mind was working. Whirring, filled with ideas, it wouldn't take long for his mind to come up with something. Something devious, and something Hermione wouldn't be expecting. But his mind only knew one thing at the present moment. 

   Revenge is sweeter. 

~*~*~*~*

   Now that Hermione had well and truly recovered from the incredible laughing fit she had experienced earlier, she had time to think. She relaxed on her bed, enjoying the comforts of her luxurious bedroom. Her mind constantly re-played the morning's events. Luckily for her, it was a Saturday, and she had the whole day to come up with part three of her plan, or just the enjoy the end of part two. 

   Which she thoroughly was. 

   One thing she did know, and was ready for, it was Draco's pay back. She could not say he wasn't in his room at this present moment happy with his own little thoughts plotting the day away, because that's exactly what she supposed he was doing. 

   And then her mind went back to something else entirely. 

   That stupid little kiss. 

   That stupid little-pleasurable-I'd-do-it-again-any-day-kiss. 

   And, yes, the problem was – she'd do it again any day. 

   Of course, she knew it was _her _fault. She initiated the kiss. The problem also was she secretly wished for a similar opportunity to arise. She wanted to kiss him again. Of course, she couldn't tell him that. It would be like telling him she fantasised about him for days on end—because sometimes she did. Sometimes she wanted him so bad she couldn't explain what was racing through her mind and other times she wanted to wipe the stupid little smirk off of his face. 

   It was an understatement that she was confused. 

   It was also an understatement to say that she was drunk. 

   She'd conquered up a bottle of tequila—from a spell book in the restricted section of the library—and drunk herself silly until she felt a little woozy. Hermione had always dealt with her problems by drinking when she could easily dealt with them mentally. She was happy that was for sure, perhaps that was a result of the drink, but she knew she would have to see someone just to make her happier. 

   And that someone just happened to be Draco Malfoy. 

~*~*~*~*

   Draco, quite content with his thoughts, woke up from a daze when he heard someone knocking on his bedroom. Of course, that someone would have to be Hermione, since she's the only one who knows the password to their dormitories. 

   At first, he felt like ignoring her completely. Shrugging her off like a piece of lint on his shoulder. It turned out Hermione wasn't going anywhere soon. 

   "Let me in!" she whined. 

   He continued to ignore her pleading. 

   "Draco … I'll sing." 

   That thought scared him more than the mere thought of running stark naked down the corridors. He slowly got up and opened the door, shocked to see a beaming face staring back at him. 

   "Hello," she greeted. 

   "Hi," he said cautiously. 

   She waltzed over to his bed, flopping down it. She sat up, resting on her elbows. "How've you been, Draco?"

   "Er – great. You?" 

   "Absolutely fantastic!" 

   Draco wandered over to where she sat. "Are you drunk?" he asked. 

   "No!" Hermione stretched out across his bed. 

   "You're just happy?" he quirked an eyebrow. 

   "Well, after this morning, who wouldn't be?" she asked. 

   Draco grimaced. "Right … yeah … this morning." 

   "Oh, don't bother yourself about it, Draco. People will only be talking about it for -," 

   "Ten years," Draco finished. 

   Hermione looked at him. "Yes I suppose you're right." 

   "You're still happy?" 

   "Well, it's a tad depressing, isn't it?" 

   "I suppose I deserved it," said Draco. 

   "You did." 

   "I did?" 

   "Yes, you did." 

   "Oh." 

   He sat down then, and she shuffled closer to him. "Draco, can I ask you something?" 

   "Yes. Anything." 

   "Why did you kiss me back?" 

   A simple question. The six words didn't cause such a distress unless put together, and it scared Draco because he knew he'd eventually have to answer it. He looked at Hermione, pleadingly. 

   "You said 'anything'," Hermione pointed out. 

   "I did." He sighed. 

   "You – you don't have to answer," Hermione said quietly. 

   "I should." 

   "I guess you should." 

   "Heat of the moment, I suppose. It's not that big of a deal." 

   "It is." Hermione cautiously put her hand on his. "Because I think we both want to do it again." She slowly brought her lips up to his; placing feather light kisses on his mouth. Draco moved, stopping her. He looked at her carefully. "How do I know this isn't a joke?" 

   Hermione allowed herself a small smile. "You don't … you just feel." Again, she kissed him, with more force and passion this time. He moved his lips rhythmically against hers, sliding his tongue in and darting it across her bottom lip. She breathed in sharply, not allowing herself a moan. She wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. 

   Not yet anyway. 

   Drunk as she may be, her head seemed less fuzzy than it was before. She ran a hand through his hair, and the pair fell back onto the bed. Caught up in the heat of the moment again it seems. 

****

****

**_Review! Please. _**


	9. The Aftermath

~~**Hey, sorry for lack of updatement. I will make up for it with new chapters! But I hope you understand I sort of lost interest in the whole Draco/Hermione thing and I wrote the last chapter with extreme difficulty, but hopefully my love for the two of the most unlikliest of couples will go on and I can finish this story. Please read and review as you do. Thanks for keeping up with EXTREMELY SHORT ATTENTION SPAN! Love you all!~~**

Chapter Nine--The Aftermath 

   "I'm sorry." 

   His voice made her suddenly feel very small. She let her eyes wash over him as he sat hunched up, not daring to look at her. She allowed herself a small smile. "Hey, it happens to everybody." But it shouldn't, a small voice told her. 

   "Not to me." 

   She lay a hand on his shoulder and felt him tense up at her touch. She jerked her hand away and looked at him with a hurt expression in her eyes. "Draco ... did I do something?" 

   He let out a short laugh. "Hardly. You were ... you were perfect, and I'm ... I'm those guys who had to pay girls to go out with him. I fucked up ... big time." 

   "It's just sex," she told him. No, it's not, the same small voice said, I was about to sleep with a Malfoy ... and then ... 

   Draco remained silent. He seemed pensive, thinking. Hermione smiled to herself. "This is a story to tell the grandchildren ... Draco Malfoy just couldn't get the mouse out of the house." She waited for a response. None. He either couldn't come up with a classic comeback or he was more embarrassed and upset then she thought he was. "Didn't you buy the 'How To ...' booklet Seamus was giving out years ago?" 

   "I wrote the 'How To ...' booklet Seamus was giving out years ago." 

   "Oh." 

   He looked at her suddenly. "You won't tell anyone will you?" 

   Hermione frowned at him. "No! Of course not." 

   There was a short pause and Draco shrugged to himself. "It's probably a good thing, you know ... I didn't have any condoms anyway." 

   "I did." 

   Draco looked at her. 

   "Aw, come on! You must know by now I don't believe men should have all the responsibilities." 

   He nodded. Then he laughed. It was the first time Hermione had heard a genuine laugh from him in ages. "It's funny, you know. I hated you at the start of this year-" 

   "-and let's not forget I hated you more-" 

   "-and now here I am. You're sitting on my bed and I'm sitting here apologising to you 'cause my dick went limp." 

   "Ha!" Hermione snorted into her hands. "Has it - has it ever happened before?" 

   "Once. But it was Pansy, so ..." 

   "Understandable." She nodded. "Wait. If you ... couldn't perform with Pansy and could do it with anyone else ... why ... me?" 

   Draco sighed. "I shouldn't have told you that." 

   Hermione's eyes narrowed. "No, I think you should've." 

   "You wanna know why?" 

   "Yes, I do." 

   "I don't know why!" He stood up and looked at her. "You were there! And you were - God! And I ... I was an amateur. I'm not a fucking virgin! I know how to have sex! I know what to do." 

   "Well, so do I!" Hermione stood up too. "And that's not supposed to happen! So, tell me, Draco! Please!" She took a step closer to him and hissed in his ear. "Tell me. Why didn't you fuck me? Why wasn't I one of your bitches?"

   He shuddered at the closeness between them. "You're mad." 

   "I'm pissed is what I am! I was fucking drunk and I'm the one who's not supposed to know what to do! I'm the one who was supposed to fall asleep while you're trying to rid all my innocence. I'm-" 

   "SHUT UP!" 

   She stopped. She looked at him, her face glowering. 

   "Granger, shut the _fuck _up!" 

   He pushed her up against the wall and pressed his lips against hers. "Let's go for round two." 

~~**~~**

   It had been a week since her encounter with Draco and things hadn't changed between them one notch. Except for the fact that they managed to fit in a few quickies between Potions and Transfiguration. 

   They were currently in Defence Against The Dark Arts with their final DADA teacher for the year. Professor Nollin stood before them re-teaching Professor Moody's dark fascination with the unforgivable curses they had learnt in their fourth year. When we couldn't possibly been doing what we're doing now, Hermione thought as a blush crept over her face. They had already completed the 'How To ...' as well as many others Draco had stolen from several perverted Slytherin bedrooms. Including Goyle's, Hermione shuddered. 

   Finally, Professor Nollin dismissed the class insisting they try as hard as possible not to be under one of these curses or perform them on any other student. Hermione nodded at her professor and hurried off to her next class. 

   As quick as a flash a strong arm pulled her into one of the utility closets. "Late, are we?" a voice asked. "Now, I believe they give you detention for that." He began to nibble her neck. "Perhaps I'll join you." 

   Hermione sighed (with both frustration and pleasure) and turned. "Draco ... I - I have to go." 

   He gently tugged on her earlobe. "What class are you late for, Miss Granger?" 

   "Potions." 

   "Even better." 

   His mouth travelled down to her neck and gently sucked on the soft skin there. Sure to leave a mark, he thought with a smirk. "Now, Miss Granger, do you know what Snape makes you do in his detentions?" 

   "Cleaning windows?" she guessed. 

   "Exactly. And you never know how much fun you can have with a sponge - until you try it." 

   Hermione groaned and pushed him up to the back of the closet, where she began to kiss him fiercely. She wrapped a leg around his waist and her lips left his before travelling downwards. "My turn." 

   She kissed his neck and began sucking on it. He moved in protest and she pushed him with her hand. "You didn't think I didn't notice?" she asked. 

   He directed her lips back to his and kiss her. He tugged on her bottom lip and used the distraction to slip his tongue into her wet, warm mouth. She moaned and began to massage his tongue with her own. "Payback," she muttered. "You know I like to take control." 

   "What the fuck are you doing?" 

   It soon became obvious to the two that Ginny and several Gryffindors were watching them. It was not obvious, however, for how long. All they knew was that they were in a rather tight situation and that this one could not be solved by the same book that helped them out of the extremely painful position they had tried a few days before. 

   "Oh dear." 


End file.
